The Changes in Me
by melanieintn
Summary: Charlie wakes up a vampire, and is confused and alone. He turns to the only person he knows might be able to help him. Will the Quileute chief help his friend or turn him away? Will Charlie be able to remain as chief of police? O/S, One-shot, Pre-Twilight


Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. were the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot were the property of the author. The author was in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement was intended.

A/N: Takes place at the beginning of the summer before the Cullens arrive in Forks.

~ooo000ooo~

**Charlie POV:**

I was in so much pain, and I wondered if I was dead or dying. I couldn't be dead; it hurt too much. Concentrating was too difficult, but I was trying to remember all the good times with Renee and Bella. I remembered Billy was my best friend. Why was this happening to me? I couldn't remember much, but the last thing I could recall was someone grabbing me from behind and biting down on my neck. I was out searching for some missing hikers; however, I ended up becoming a victim myself.

It felt like I had been burning for years, but it had probably only been a few days. The fire was starting to recede from my extremities, but the fiery torture in my chest was increasing. My heart sounded like it was going to beat out of my chest. Then, it just stopped beating, and the pain was gone.

I slowly opened my eyes that had been tightly cinched shut. Wow, everything was so much clearer now. Clearly, I could see the veins on the leaves of the trees. I looked around and realized that I was lying on the ground in the forest. Deciding to get up, I was standing before I had time to blink. This situation was getting stranger and stranger. I felt different, and I began to wonder if I also looked different.

Catching a whiff of something that smelt good, I was instantly running in the direction of the scent. The speed was unbelievable in which I was able to move. I came upon a herd of deer, and felt my instincts kick in; I lunged for the deer, broke its neck, and sunk my teeth into it. When I was through drinking, my thirst was not quenched. However, the herd had run away. In the future, I would have to learn to take down a couple of them, before I actually start drinking.

I soon was able to catch the scent of a couple more deer; I drained them before my throat finally found relief. Now I needed to get home and figure out how long I had been out here, and see if I could figure out what was wrong with me. Plus I needed to take a shower and get a change of clothes. I wasn't exactly neat when I drained those deer.

I made it back to the house fairly quickly and just about took the door off the hinges when I opened it. Now, I guess I was going to have to relearn how to handle things. I headed upstairs to grab some clothes and happened to catch a glimpse of myself in my bedroom mirror. I jumped back and then couldn't believe my eyes. . The reflection looking back at me was me, but still slightly altered. I was pale, my features were sharpened, and I looked several years younger than my current age. However, my eyes were the most shocking feature; they were red. This was unbelievable; I wondered what had happened to me. I need to go see Billy; he believes in all these superstitions and mumbo-jumbo. Maybe he had some idea what had happened to me

I hurried through my shower, trying hard not to break the knobs in the shower stall. I ended up tearing two shirts before I could get one on properly. If this kept up, I was going to run out of clothes to wear. Between getting them coated in blood and tearing them, I would have to buy a whole new wardrobe.

After I got dressed and called into work, I found out that they had been searching for me and were extremely worried. I told them I had fallen and knocked myself out; and I had just regained consciousness. I told them that I needed some time off to recover. They understood and said they would cover for me; I was the boss after all. But I had to figure out what was going on with all of these changes, before I could even think about going back to work.

I grabbed my keys, got in the cruiser, and headed for the reservation. When I arrived at Billy's house, I immediately got out of the vehicle and approached his door. Being careful not to knock too hard, the door was quickly opened by Jacob. He just stared at me for a second, and then yelled for his dad. He backed into the house, and I followed him. I knew I looked different, but I guess my eyes were really scary. I should have put some sunglasses on before I approached their house.

Jacob stumbled over Billy as he came rolling into the kitchen in his wheelchair. Billy just stared at me speechless, and I couldn't take the silence anymore.

"Talk to me, Billy. Do you know what is wrong with me? I was in a lot of pain for a few days, and I woke up like this today. I know you believe in all those legends and superstitions of your tribe. Do you have any that covers the changes that I had gone through? Also, when the pain stopped, I was thirsty and I drained three deer. Please can you help me?" I begged.

He finally found his voice and asked, "What do we smell like? Does our blood not tempt you?"

"You kind of smell good, but I would never hurt you or Jacob. Heck, I don't plan on hurting anyone. I just want to know what is wrong with me; and can I change back or is this permanent? Can you help me, Billy?" I asked.

"Yes, I can help you. You are acting nothing like the legends said you should act. I will tell you the legends. However, there is one legend of a certain family that you seem to be emulating. Come on in the family room and have a seat. I will tell you what I know," he said, as he turned his chair around and rolled into the living room.

Jacob still was looking slack jawed and couldn't seem to stop staring. He said: "Dad, you mean the legends were true. There really were cold-ones?"

"Yes, son, the legends are true. I always told you that they were true, why would I lie about something like that?" Billy asked him.

"I don't know, to keep me in line maybe. I thought they were scary stories that you told your kids, so they would behave. I never considered them to be factual. So that means that we descended from wolves too? Will I turn into a wolf?" Jacob asked.

"What was he talking about Billy? Are there werewolves too? Man, have I been clueless," I whispered.

"Have a seat on the couch, and I will start from the beginning," he said.

I take a seat and he begins to tell me the legends, beginning with the times of Noah. He proceeded to tell me about the spirit warriors and then where the wolves came into play. He then talks about the evil cold-ones and the third wife. Finally, he gets to the story about a family named Cullen, and the fact that they were different from the evil cold ones of legend. They had golden eyes, not red ones.

That was where I stopped him and asked, "But I have red eyes, and I drank from the animals. Why aren't my eyes golden?"

"Maybe because you are so young from the change, maybe it takes a while for your eyes to change color. I really have no idea why your eyes are red or how long it would take them to turn golden. That is all the information that I have to give you. Those are the stories of our people. I don't have any way to contact the Cullens. It was in the 1930s when they were last in this area. I think they have to move around a lot to keep people from getting suspicious," he said.

"What do you mean, suspicious? What would people get suspicious about?" I asked.

"Charlie, you don't change. You will be like this forever. You will not ever age, and you are stuck at whatever age you get changed," he told me. "The change did you well. You looked like you are in your 20s, instead of your 30s," he said.

"What am I going to do about my job? What about my eyes? People can't see me with red eyes, and also there is the fact that I look different. Won't people notice that I have changed?" I asked, as I put my head in my hands.

"Wear sunglasses, you would look cool," Jacob said.

"That may be fine outside; but if I start wearing them indoors, people will think it is strange," I said.

"What about colored contacts? I see the advertisements on TV for them. You don't need a prescription to get them," Jacob said excitedly.

"That might work. Where do you buy colored contacts?" I asked Jacob.

"I would think an eye doctor for sure, but maybe you could order some online. I know you don't have a computer at your house, but you have one at work. I can come by and help you try to locate some online," Jacob volunteered.

"Thanks Jacob; if your father would let you, I wouldn't mind you riding into town with me. I am having a little difficulty handling things. I am not used to this extra strength," I said.

"That is fine with me. You just have to remember that if you feel the urge to drain someone, you need to go hunt down an animal immediately. Also, you will sparkle in the sunshine, so you have to be careful about going out into the sun. What you have turned into was a secret; you can't tell anyone. I think there are ones like you that police that sort of thing. They get rid of anyone who gets reckless or threatens to expose them. So if you plan to stay in the public light, you will have to be careful. I think you should take a few weeks off at least and get used to your strength and make sure that your thirst is under control," Billy said.

"I already called in and explained my absence by telling them that I fell and knocked myself out. I told them that I needed some time to recuperate. I definitely don't want to hurt anyone. You mentioned that the Cullens had a treaty with you and couldn't come on your land. Am I going to be able to come to the reservation or am I going to be banned too?" I asked.

"I will talk it over with the rest of the elders of the tribe and let you know what we decide. If they won't let you come here, I will still definitely come to your house. In fact, it might be a good idea for them to actually see how calm you are and that might convince them that you are safe," he said to me.

"Jacob, go get me the phone so that I can call an emergency council meeting," he said.

Jacob brought him the phone, and he made a couple of calls to Harry Clearwater and Quil Ateara Senior. It was strange that I was able to now hear both sides of the conversation. I might be able to use some of my new abilities to improve my performance on the job.

I heard them tell Billy that they would be over in a few minutes. So I prepared myself for their reaction, they may not be as friendly as Billy. Harry and I were good buddies, but I was not that close to Quil Sr. It only took them a few minutes to arrive, and I heard them pull up in their vehicles. Jacob went to the door to let them in the house. They both walked into the house and into the family room.

"Hey Charlie, hey Billy, I thought you said that we needed to have an emergency tribal council meeting. Why is Charlie here?" Harry said, and then stopped dead in his tracks as he took in my new appearance.

Harry and Quil looked like they were frozen to the floor. "What is going on Billy? Did you invite us over to get killed?" Quil Sr. said. They both looked like cornered rabbits.

"No, I called you over for a meeting. We need to discuss if Charlie can come onto the reservation. You know we have the treaty with the Cullens, but Charlie is practically considered family to us. So we should decide what course of action that we need to take. He may also require our help. He is all alone in this and is confused," Billy said.

"Why is he sitting here so calm? He just went missing a few days ago, so he is what they call a newborn. Why isn't he acting all crazy? This is really confusing," Harry said, shaking his head.

"He is different. Maybe it is because he has it ingrained in him to help people and not hurt them. He said he drained three deer, so he obviously will be feeding from animals. He said that Jacob and I smelled kind of good, but he could never hurt us," Billy said.

"Hey, if you were going to be draining deer, bring us the carcasses, and we can use the venison and hides. We can make items out of the antlers too," Harry said.

"So, would he be allowed to come on the reservation?" Billy asked.

"I don't see why not. He seems like the same old Charlie to me. What do you say Quil?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. He is new to this life after all. What if he slips and someone gets hurt?" Quil asked.

"I will not slip. I have no desire to drain a human. I would never hurt anyone on the reservation or anywhere else for that matter," I said because I could no longer stay quiet.

"Alright then, take Jacob and get some sunglasses and contacts. You may want to start wearing gloves, so no one will notice the difference in your body temperature when you shake their hands," Billy said.

"Thanks, Billy; I think I have a pair of sunglasses in the cruiser. Where would you like me to bring the deer carcasses, Harry?" I asked.

"Just bring them to my house, it is about time my kids learn how to process a deer. It would be great if you could field dress them for us. It would be a little less messy on my end," he said.

"No problem, I will probably bring you some tonight. I don't know how often I am supposed to feed, but I don't want to take any chances. I don't want to risk being around others and not be well-fed," I said.

Jacob and I headed out to Port Angeles. They would have the closest eye doctor where I could purchase some brown contacts. While we were in town, I purchased the contacts, a few more pairs of sunglasses, a couple of pair of leather driving gloves, and some more clothes. I had a feeling I would need the additional clothing, before I could get a good handle on the new me. I also picked up some cleaner that said that it was good at removing blood stains. I guess I would see how well it worked.

I stopped at my house on my way back to the reservation. I began to think about the fact that I wouldn't be eating food again. I needed to clean out my fridge before the items ruined. I would just gather up all the food in the house, and give it to Billy and Jacob.

We went in the house and I told Jacob what I was going to do. I told him to get some plastic bags and empty the cabinets while I emptied the fridge. I then got some coolers and filled them with the freezer items. After we had all the food gathered up, we put it in the cruiser and headed for the reservation.

When we got there, we took all the items into the house. "Billy, you may not have room for everything that I had in my freezer. There is a ton of frozen fish here, and you might want to call and see if anyone else would like to have any of these items," I said.

He and Jacob went through the food and picked out what they would eat. Then, he called Harry and told him to come back over to the house and bring Seth. He would need him to help carry the items. Of course Seth reacted as Jacob had reacted when he first saw me, but it didn't take him long to accept me too. Everyone was grateful for the food, but I told them that no thanks were necessary. I couldn't eat it and I didn't want it to go to waste. I told Harry that I would pick up the coolers at a later time.

I bid everyone good-bye and headed for home. I needed to be alone for a while and contemplate everything that had happened to me. I made it back home and sat down in my faithful recliner. It was well-worn, but still comfortable. I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around what had happened to me. One day I was this normal guy with a boring life and a steady job, and the next I was some creature that the Quileutes call a cold one. I now drink blood instead of eat. I wondered what other changes I would have to get used to in the future. What was I going to do about seeing Bella this summer? I couldn't go to sunny Phoenix or California like we had planned. She doesn't like coming here to rainy Forks. I would just have to come up with some excuse about not being able to visit because of work. If she wants to see me, she will just have to come here. If she doesn't, well there was nothing I could do about it.

After a few more minutes of running everything over in my head, I headed out to hunt. I grabbed my hunting knife so that I could field dress the deer. This time when I came across a herd of deer, I took two down before I started to feed. Once they were drained, I field dressed them and headed for the reservation. It was hard to believe how light they were to me. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined being able to carry two full-grown deer and still be able to run at top speed.

I arrived at Harry's house and knocked on the door. Seth answered it and then called out to his dad, telling him that I had arrived with the deer.

He came outside and said: "Just lay them on the tarp that I have lain out for them. Those are some big ones. If you bring many of this size to us, our freezer will soon be full. I am planning a big cookout this weekend, and I want you to be there. I want everyone to see you and let them know you are safe. Since you are going to be frequenting the reservation, I don't want anyone frightened by your appearance," Harry said.

"Alright, just tell me the day and time and I will be here. I was planning on going fishing with Billy Saturday, so I will already be around then," I said.

"It will be Saturday night about 5:00 PM. But I am sure I will be seeing you before then, I think you have to hunt more often when you are new. I don't know about you though; you aren't acting like a typical cold one anyway," he said as he began to skin the deer. Seth was watching him closely.

"What about other animals that I drain. Which ones would you want?" I asked.

"Well, we could use bear, elk, and moose for both their hides and meat. Let me think a minute. Goat and sheep would be fine too. One thing that I do ask you to avoid is wolves. Please don't kill any wolves," he said.

"I won't bother the wolves; there was plenty of other animals out there in which for me to feed," I said.

Sue came out of the house then and asked, "How do you plan on getting the blood out of your clothes?"

"I bought some cleaner today that is supposed to work; I am really hoping that it does," I said to her.

"Oh pish posh, those chemical cleaners won't work. Came on inside and put on some of Harry's clothes that he has outgrown. I think they will just fit you. How about the idea of us making a trade? You bring us meat and I get the blood stains out of your clothes. We will just trade out each time you bring us meat," she said as I followed her into the house. She went into a room and brought me out some clothes and pointed me to the bathroom.

"Go take a shower and change; because the quicker I can get to those stains, the easier they will be to get out," she said.

There seemed to be no need to argue with her, so I took the clothes and headed into the bathroom. After I showered and changed into the clean clothes. I headed back outside to where Harry had almost finished removing the hide from the two deer.

He turned and looked at me, smiled, and said: "Looks like you couldn't say 'no' to her just like I can't."

"Well, she is rather convincing, plus I was dreading trying to get the blood stains out of my clothes anyway. She just saved me the trouble of proving that I don't have a clue to what I am doing when it comes to removing stains," I said.

"Well, I think we ended up on the best side of the deal. We get plenty of meat and hides and you get clean clothes. I am not sure how fair the trade is for you; but if you don't mind, then I won't," he said as he was showing Seth how to remove the meat from the bone.

"It seems fair enough to me. At least the rest of the animal won't be going to waste after I drain it. I had better be getting home. I will probably see you again tomorrow; I am going to feed every day until I make sure that I have complete control. Then, I will start to spread it out a little," I said, as I turned to leave.

"See if you can locate a bear, I haven't had bear meat in years. Plus we could use a new rug for the living room floor," he said.

"I will see what I can do. I will try to locate a bear for you tomorrow. See you later Harry and Seth," I said, as I took off running.

This was actually a fun part of the change. The feeling of the breeze in my face and the rush I felt as I ran through the trees. I got back to my house in no time. After all that running, I would have thought that I would be tired and sleepy. But I was far from tired or sleepy. I sat down to watch a game and then the evening news. After the news, I decided that I would try to go to sleep. I went to bed and tossed and turned for a couple of hours. I finally gave up and went back to watch some more TV. Well, I guess I had discovered another change; the fact that cold ones don't sleep. I am going to have to come up with a nighttime hobby if that was the case because I will go nuts with boredom.

The next few days were filled with me learning how to hold things without breaking them, putting clothes on without tearing them, and relearning how to move without looking suspicious. I was able to locate Harry two bears, a moose, two elk, and some more deer. His place was covered with hides that he was drying out. I wondered what he planned to do with them all.

Saturday arrived and I met Billy at his place to go fishing. I discovered that it was much easier to handle him and his wheelchair. I could just lift him out of it and into the vehicle and then getting him out of the vehicle and into the boat was a snap. The only difference now was that I knew I won't be eating what I catch, but it was still fun. It just means Billy would have that much more to take home.

We fished all morning, and then headed back to the house to watch a game before we had to go to Harry's house for the cookout. I had my sunglasses on, but people still seemed to notice the changes in me and looked at me cautiously. I guess most had heard the legends and they were seeing the resemblance between me and the legends. Billy decided to speak up.

"As you all seemed to notice, Chief Swan has changed. He is still the same Chief Swan that he has always been and he should be treated no differently. Some of you know the legends and some of you don't. This is not to be talked about to anyone. If anyone asks you any questions about Charlie, then you tell them that all you knew is that he fell and hit his head. He was out in the elements for three days and it has seemed to have caused some changes in his skin. Tell them that it is a dormant gene that he has and it is something that he has to live with now. Hopefully that will satisfy any busy bodies. Do you all understand what I am saying?" he asked. They all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Also, all the wild game that Harry has been distributing is due to Charlie providing it for us. So be sure and thank him for it. This cook-out is possible because of Charlie's hunting also," he announced.

Most of the people came around to me and thanked me for the meat that they had received. The atmosphere quickly relaxed and they all settled in to enjoy their meal. I just sat back in my chair and enjoyed the smell and sound of the ocean nearby. The smell of the cooked meat was not very appetizing, but I chose to ignore it and took in the joyful atmosphere. I noticed that there were a lot of teenagers present and a few of them I don't even know. Then, I noticed the hides that Harry had that were stretched out and curing.

"Hey, Harry, what are you going to do with all those hides?" I asked him.

"I am going to make some items and set up a little shop to sell them. Seth is also going to help me sell some items on the internet. I am going to try several different things and see what sells the best. Then, I will go from there. Billy is going to add some word carvings, and we are going to set up shop together," he said.

"Well that sounds great; that beats him sitting around the house all day getting bored," I laughingly said.

"Hey, maybe I like sitting around the house doing nothing. Not everyone can be a big shot, chief of police," he said, adding to the conversation.

"I am not a big shot; I am just a small town police chief, who is now going to have to keep a low profile," I said.

We continued to talk on into the night. When everyone started to disburse and go to their respective homes, I decided it was time for me to leave too. I bid everyone a good night and headed home.

Over the next week, I pretty much perfected my object handling skills and could now get dressed without destroying my clothes. I took my ripped items to Sue to see if she could fix them or use them for another purpose. Billy and Jacob worked with me on moving and acting human; I learned I had to be careful and not move too fast. I practiced putting the contacts in and realized that they only lasted about four hours before they dissolved. So I would need to put a new set in about half way through my workday.

I checked in with work and everything seemed to be running smoothly. I told them that I had been to a doctor; and because of a recessive dormant gene that was triggered by my extended exposure and trauma to my head, I now had a change in my skin tone and appearance. I would also have a severe reaction to the sun; so I would not be able to go outside on sunny days. I told them I would just use my vacation days when it was sunny. Thank goodness we don't have very many sunny days in this part of the state. I then informed them that I would be in to work the following Monday.

I talked to Bella and explained that I couldn't get time off of work and that if she would like to visit, I would send her money for a plane ticket. She said she really didn't want to come to Forks, so we would skip our summer visit this year. I really missed her, but there was nothing that I could do about the situation.

I started back to work and it went smoothly; since I had already told them that my appearance and skin tone was different, they really didn't react to my changes. So work resumed back to normal, and I found work even easier than before the change. My senses were so much sharper and I could even tell when someone was telling the truth or not. Their heart rate increased and I could almost taste the lie coming off of them. I had found it quite convenient to now have a built-in lie detector.

My hunting was much improved and I got less and less blood on me each time I would hunt. Harry and Billy had opened their shop and were doing quite well. They had tried to share some of their profits with me; saying that the shop would not be possible if it wasn't for me. However, I knew how much work Harry had put into each project; so it was impossible for me to accept any form of payment. So now I had an array of items that were made from skins and pelts that I had provided for them. They said they would be insulted if I turned the gifts down. They had made me a jacket, pants, moccasins and various other items. Plus the clothing that they made seems to hold up better than my regular clothes.

It was almost the end of summer and my eyes were finally turning golden. Soon I would be able to get rid of the contacts altogether. I would just tell people it was part of the recessive gene problem in which I was currently suffering. I really missed not being able to see Bella this summer, but hopefully next year she would want to visit.

About three weeks before school started, I began to hear rumors of a new doctor and his family moving to Forks. I still haven't heard his name yet; but the rumor was that he had a house full of adopted teenagers. Hopefully they would be good kids and wouldn't give the town any trouble.

The next week, I heard that they were moving into their house and that the doctor's name was Carlisle Cullen. I called up Billy and asked him if it was Carlisle Cullen who signed the treaty, and he confirms that it was him. I told him that he had moved back to town with his family. He said that they would need to have a council meeting and probably meet with them to renew the treaty. I told him that I would go out to their house and check them out.

It would be nice having others like me in town, as long as they were friendly. After work, I headed over to their house. It was almost impossible to locate their driveway, and it was one of the longest driveways that I had ever seen. When I pulled up to the house, they must have heard me driving up because they were all standing outside their house waiting for me. There was a total of seven of them; there were four males and three females. Praying that they were friendly, I got out of my cruiser and approached them.

A blond man that looked a little bit older than the rest stepped forward and greeted me. "Hi, I didn't know that there was any more of our kind that lived in Forks," he said.

"Well, I haven't been like this for long. As you can tell, my eyes haven't completely turned golden yet," I said, as I took off my sunglasses.

"You are a newborn? How are you so calm? How can you stand to be around humans?" he asked, looking completely bewildered.

"I don't know; this was how I woke up to this life. I crave animals and not humans. My friend Billy said that I must be so wired to protect humans, and that it carried over into this form," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Wait, you told somebody? You aren't supposed to tell humans about us," he adamantly said.

"He is my best friend, and I didn't know what else to do. He knew what I was when he saw me anyway. He is Quileute and knows all the legends. He and his son have helped me a lot with the transition. Without them I would have been totally lost and alone," I said.

"Well, that is different; since he is Quileute. Where is your maker? How did you end up like this?" he asked.

"I don't know; I was attacked from behind and was in pain for days. When the pain finally stopped, I was alone. So I have no idea who did this to me or why they just didn't drain me," I said.

"Well, where are my manners? Let me introduce you to my family. This was my wife, Esme; my son Edward; my son and daughter, Emmett and Rosalie; and my other son and daughter, Jasper and Alice. The last four are mates. They will be attending school at Forks High and I am the new doctor at the hospital. Esme will be staying home tending to the house. She has some redecorating that she is impatient to get started on immediately," he said, laughing as he hugged her to himself.

They all greeted me, and came up and shook my hand. Edward walked up to me and asked, "Do you have a power?"

"What is a power?" I asked.

"Some of us have powers; Jasper can feel and manipulate emotions, Alice can see the future, and I can read minds. But I can't read yours very well. It is very hazy," he said.

"I have no idea if I have a special power, I wouldn't know the difference between normal vampire abilities and special ones. I am the only vampire that I have ever seen or have been around," I told them.

"If Edward can't read your mind, you might have some sort of ability. When our extended family from up north comes to visit, I will invite you over to meet them. One of them has the ability to sense powers, and he will be able to determine if you have one or not," Carlisle said.

"Well, I am able to tell if anyone is telling the truth or not, is that a normal vampire ability?" I asked.

"No, that is not normal for a vampire to be able to tell if you are telling the truth. All except for Jasper, he would be able to tell if you were telling the truth because he can read people's emotions," he said.

That was when I took a good look at Jasper and noticed all the scars on his face, neck, and arms. I tried to stifle my shock, but I knew he sensed it and he said: "It is a long story, I will tell you sometime."

"Alright, I will look forward to it. I would like to hear everyone's stories at some point. It will be nice having others like me around. It has been lonely being the only one of my kind this whole summer. Although thankfully, I still have my friends on the reservation," I said.

"You are still friends with the Quileutes? Don't they make you stay off their land?" he asked.

"I was already close friends with them before the change, and they saw that I appeared no different to them after it. Plus I provide them with meat and hides, and they have made quite a profitable business with items that I bring them," I said.

"You mean you take them your kills and they accept them?" Carlisle asked.

"Why wouldn't they? It is perfectly good meat and they are making all kinds of items out of the hides. I have practically a new wardrobe because I refuse to take part of their profit. So they have decided to pay me in clothes instead; they were more durable to hunt in too," I said.

"I wonder if they would take our kills. It would make me feel better knowing that I wasn't being wasteful," Carlisle said.

"I don't know, but I can ask. You would have to learn how to field dress them before you take them to the reservation," I said.

Jasper and Emmett both said that they knew how to field dress an animal and could teach the others. They all seemed to like the idea of not wasting the rest of the animal after it was drained. After we talked a little while longer, I decided to go home and get changed out of my uniform. I then headed to the reservation to talk to Billy about the Cullens. It was decided that if they were going to provide the tribe with meat and hides that they should be allowed on the reservation.

So they had a meeting and altered the treaty. They still couldn't hunt on the reservation or kill wolves, but they were allowed to come to the reservation.

So that began the friendship between the Quileutes and Cullens. Jasper and Emmett readily accepted the clothes that were made for them. The others politely told them that it wasn't their style, so they wouldn't accept any clothes. Emmett was ecstatic over a bear rug they prepared for him; they had made sure that it was one that he had killed himself.

The ladies did accept the jewelry made from deer antlers. After Emmett and Jasper started wearing their new clothes to hunt, Carlisle and Edward changed their minds about wanting something to wear. So soon everyone was on even ground, and no one felt like the other owed them something.

I sent some moccasins, a dream catcher, and jewelry to Bella. I knew she didn't need the clothes; it would be too hot for her to wear them in Phoenix. I just hoped that I could talk her into visiting next summer. I wondered what she would think about the changes that had happened to me. Even though I had plenty of friends, I still yearned for closeness of family. She was the only family that I had left. I just hoped she realized that she missed me too. All I could do was wait and see what the future would bring.

~ooo000ooo~

A/N: This was my one-shot entry for the Strictly Charlie Contest. Thanks so much for taking the time to read it and leave me a review and let me know how you like it. If I get a good enough response, I will consider turning it into a multi-chapter story. **If it is continued it more than likely would be an Edward/Bella rated M story**. There is a problem with the FF review system, so if you don't have your PMs or email turned on, I can't respond back to your reviews. The link to my home blog in on my FF profile page and the link for the following blog page is there also. The blog page dedicated to this story is http:/ /melanieintn .blogspot .com /p/changes-in-me-pics .html


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